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The newly announced Mists of Pandaria expansion for Blizzard's World of Warcraft finally brings the long-awaited Pandaren race to the fantasy world of Azeroth, and while many players have been waiting to see pandas officially implemented into the game, no one, perhaps, has been waiting longer than Samwise Didier. Blizzard's longtime art director originally created the race in his own art, and up until this release, they existed only in bits and pieces of legends inside the games, as little in-jokes or secrets.

"It's very personal to me," Didier tells us at BlizzCon this week. "It all started with a picture done for Christmas after the birth of my daughter." Since that first piece of concept art, the Pandaren have always been a fan favorite race (combining a heady mix of panda humanoids, Eastern-style religions and mythology, and even beer brewing monks), and while Didier is quick to point out that lots of people are working on Mists of Pandaria, he's thrilled to see his personal creation come to virtual life. "I'm not trying to take away" credit for the expansion, he says, quickly acknowledging all of the creative folks at Blizzard, "however many it takes to make a game. But it's nice to know that some goofy thought in my head, done for that reason, for my kid, turned into this."

Does the portrayal live up to what Didier envisioned? "Yeah, and then some," he says. "There was only a few Pandaren pictures, and most of them were of Chen [Stormstout], a big fat sweaty heavy, beer-drinking Pandaren. Well that's not the entire society. He's sort of the anomaly. He likes to go to the outside world. So what do the normal Pandarens do, what is their normal culture like? A lot of sweat went into designing that."

But Didier does say that whenever the expansion finally arrives, and the race long hidden in Warcraft's shadows finally gets their time in the spotlight, he'll be proud they're there. "It was one of the last things that I really wanted to see in World of Warcraft, which is Warcraft in general," he says, after having worked on some of the most iconic designs in Blizzard's legendary game franchises. "Now I can almost say, well, I think I've done good with Warcraft -- they're finally in."

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>artblizzcon-2011legendmists-of-pandariapandarenpcsamwise-didierworld-of-warcraftworld-of-warcraft-mists-of-pandariaFri, 21 Oct 2011 19:15:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2010/09/13/rumor-bob-marleys-legend-comes-to-rock-band-sept-21/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/09/13/rumor-bob-marleys-legend-comes-to-rock-band-sept-21/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/09/13/rumor-bob-marleys-legend-comes-to-rock-band-sept-21/#comments
RockBandAide reports that a recent special on VH1 revealed that the Bob Marley "greatest hits" compilation album "Legend" will hit the Rock BandStore on September 21. If true, this would put many of Marley's best songs up for grabs as DLC. Check out the full track list after the break and cross your fingers!

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bob-marleydlceaelectronic-artsHarmonixlegendmtv-gamesRock-BandRock-Band-2Mon, 13 Sep 2010 12:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/09/tomb-raider-devs-talk-story-locales/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/09/tomb-raider-devs-talk-story-locales/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/09/tomb-raider-devs-talk-story-locales/#commentsWhile most of the in-game footage of environments from Tomb Raider: Underworldthat is shown in the video above was taken from the other, non-Wii systems, it's still a great look at how the developers recreated the wonderful real-world locations we'll no doubt be traversing when the game releases, as well as Underworld's story. When Tomb Raider: Legend released, it brought an actual half-decent story to the franchise and ever since we've finished that game, we've been waiting to see how all of this pans out. Apparently, Underworld will involve a god and Thor's hammer.

Check it out above, as it shows all of the hard work developer Crystal Dynamics has put into the game. Excited? We are.

Lara Croft's latest handheld adventure looks, well, dark. Not necessarily in tone, but in color. As in, it's sometimes difficult to make out just what the hell is going on. If it's brown, does that make it next-gen? What's it mean if it's blurry?

Does Tomb Raider: Underworld look better than the DS's last tomb raiding experience? The backgrounds have a little more definition, but that leads to the murky quality in the screens. In our gallery below, not only do we have screenshots from the new game, we've also put together a few comparison pieces for your perusal. Which one looks better? Of course, as long as Tomb Raider: Underworld is playable, it will probably trump the DS version of Legend.

Look, it's all well and good stomping off to rescue princesses and reassemble golden triangular relics, but at least remember that it's a cold, unforgiving world out there, and you'll need something warm to wrap around yourself at some point. As the only other Zelda quilt we've posted about was never put up for sale, this one should do the trick, even if it is ... $475?! We advise chopping grass to raise the required funds.

The combination of half-time shows, videogame medleys and marching nerds is nothing new, but this could be the best example we've seen yet. The footage above was shot at the UC Berkeley versus Washington State game earlier this month, and sees a rigorously drilled band belting out a string of songs from a glut of Nintendo favorites, including Zelda, Mario, and Pokemon. We only hope some of the crowd can appreciate the brilliance that's unfolding before them.

It's the formations that really make it for us, though. That bit with the flag at the end is an absolute win in our book.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bandbros.legendmarchingmariomortal-kombatmusicnintendopokemonpongsupertriforcezeldaWed, 14 Nov 2007 14:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/03/tomb-raider-anniversary-looking-less-chunkier-in-new-screens/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/03/tomb-raider-anniversary-looking-less-chunkier-in-new-screens/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/03/tomb-raider-anniversary-looking-less-chunkier-in-new-screens/#comments
A fresh batch of screen shots from Lara Croft's upcoming Tomb Raider Anniversary go-round on the PSP shows a prettier and less "chunkier" Tomb Raider than Legend was, though at this point we're more curious as to how it plays. Last year's Tomb Raider Legend turned out pretty decent, but frame rate issues, chunky textures and clunky controls hurt the overall reception of the title. Feast your eyes on the recent released screenshots of the PSP-bound title and let us know if this reiteration is still on your radar. Despite the slight delay from its original June release, Tomb Raider Anniversary is still on the agenda for a late July arrival. Lets hope the extra time spent on its development results in a classier and smoother ride.

Welcome to our weekly feature, Virtually Overlooked, wherein we talk about games that aren't on the Virtual Console yet, but should be. Call it a retro-speculative.

Last week, I asked for reader suggestions for this week's Virtually Overlooked. One reader suggested The Guardian Legend, and I thought that was a perfectly reasonable suggestion. The Guardian Legend was one of the biggest sleeper hits of the NES era, and something that is definitely worth checking out, especially for fans of Ys and Faxanadu.

It was only later that I realized that I was thinking of Legacy of the Wizard. I get those two mixed up a lot. They both fall into that "sleeper" category, they were both published by Brøderbund, and they both have "Leg" in the title. They're practically the same game, except that one's a hybrid vertical shooter/Zelda-style adventure developed by Compile, and the other is a side-scrolling action RPG from Nihon Falcom. But other than that, the same game.

Inspired by my inability to keep two similar things separate, I thought this week we could look at some more NES games I get confused about, either because they're so similar or because I'm so dumb.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>8 eyes8Eyescubiclefaxanadufighterguardianiremkabukikabuki quantum fighterKabukiQuantumFighterkicklelegacylegendlolomagicianmilonmysterynesnintendonintendo wiiNintendoWiiphantomphantom fighterPhantomFighterquantumquestvowiiwizardThu, 31 May 2007 16:40:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/22/phantom-hourglass-japanese-boxart-ftw/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/22/phantom-hourglass-japanese-boxart-ftw/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/22/phantom-hourglass-japanese-boxart-ftw/#comments
It's stylish. It's classy. But we here at DS Fanboy think that Link is getting a little too cute, even yon cel-shaded version. This cuteness is only made more creepy by the fact there is an old man with oddly-styled facial hair standing right next to him. Damn sailors.

This boxart reminds us heavily of Wind Waker, and it makes us wonder how big a component sailing is going to be in this new adventure. Crossing the ocean became a bit tedious in Wind Waker, so here's hoping the process has been streamlined (LOLpun) a bit.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BoxartHourglassLegendPhantomWakerWindZeldaTue, 22 May 2007 10:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/24/wear-baby-link-if-you-have-the-courage/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/24/wear-baby-link-if-you-have-the-courage/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/24/wear-baby-link-if-you-have-the-courage/#commentsThis Zelda shirt, cleverly called Born to High-Rule, offers a look at a rarely-discussed part of the Zeldamythology: the birth of Link, rendered here in a stylized graphic. If we ever wore a shirt featuring a widdle baby Link, it would probably be this one. Even if there were some other ones.

We like the details that make up the background: the hearts, hookshot, and other Zelda doodads. We especially like that the boomerang is complimented by an eminently boomerangable Keese, just like it always should be.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>babylinkdsds liteDsLitehearthookshotkeeselegendlinklitenintendonintendo dsNintendoDsshirtt-shirttshirtzeldaTue, 24 Apr 2007 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/11/its-dangerous-to-go-alone-take-this-quilt/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/11/its-dangerous-to-go-alone-take-this-quilt/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/11/its-dangerous-to-go-alone-take-this-quilt/#commentsThis quilt from Craftster member dishwasher182 combines two of our favorite things in life: The originalLegend of Zelda and being warm while sleeping. We aren't sure how we'd rank those two things.

Maybe we should start quilting, so we can have our own enormous pixel-perfect Link holding a very ziggurat-esque Triforce. But we aren't sure we're up to the challenge of cutting and sewing together over 400 squares. In fact, we know we aren't. We're exhausted from reaching up to the number keys just now.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>8bitartcraftcraftslegendlegendofzeldalinknintendonintendo wiinintendowiiquiltquiltstriforcewiizeldaSun, 11 Mar 2007 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/19/super-mario-galaxy-and-metroid-prime-3-corruption-to-be-release/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/19/super-mario-galaxy-and-metroid-prime-3-corruption-to-be-release/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/19/super-mario-galaxy-and-metroid-prime-3-corruption-to-be-release/#commentsLe sigh. There was a point, if we here at the Fanboy offices can remember correctly, that both Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption were both possible launch titles. Now, according to some whispers over at CVG, neither title will be released (along with the eternally delayedZelda: Phantom Hourglass) until the holiday season of 2007.

Patience is a good thing, and we're more than willing to wait until both of these quadruple-A titles are as shiny as can be. Still, unless Super Smash Bros: Brawl can make it out either in summer or even earlier (something we highly doubt), Nintendo is going to be going quite some time without a big first-party title. Memories of the typical Gamecube release schedule are coming to mind, but alas ... at least we've got the Virtual Console to keep us busy...

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2007ChristmasComputerCorruptionGalaxyHolidayHourrglassLateLegendMarioMetroidPhantomPrimeSuperVideo GamesVideoGamesZeldaTue, 19 Dec 2006 14:50:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/09/06/marching-band-plays-gaming-hits/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/09/06/marching-band-plays-gaming-hits/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/09/06/marching-band-plays-gaming-hits/#commentsSure, we could make jokes about how being in a marching band is lame and one's only choice should they be horrible at sports, but we aren't that kind of judgmental blog. Instead, we're the type of blog to pay homage and respect those who manage to convince their superiors that a videogame-inspired medley of tunes should be the focus of the half-time show. That's what this wonderful MSU marching band did, playing tunes from awesome Nintendo games such as Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda.

They also played something from a Microsoft game, we believe. Something having to do with angels?

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bandbros.legendmarchingmariomississippimsumusicnintendosuperzeldaWed, 06 Sep 2006 09:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/09/06/marching-band-plays-gaming-hits/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/09/06/marching-band-plays-gaming-hits/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/09/06/marching-band-plays-gaming-hits/#commentsSure, we could make jokes about how being in a marching band is lame and one's only choice should they be horrible at sports, but we aren't that kind of judgmental blog. Instead, we're the type of blog to pay homage and respect those who manage to convince their superiors that a videogame-inspired medley of tunes should be the focus of the half-time show. That's what this wonderful MSU marching band did, playing tunes from awesome Nintendo games such as Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda.

They also played something from a Microsoft game, we believe. Something having to do with angels?

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bandbroslegendmarchingmariomaroonmississippimsumusicnintendosuperzeldaWed, 06 Sep 2006 09:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/08/21/loz-controls-get-updated-and-shiggy-talks-gc-titles-updated-for/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/08/21/loz-controls-get-updated-and-shiggy-talks-gc-titles-updated-for/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/08/21/loz-controls-get-updated-and-shiggy-talks-gc-titles-updated-for/#commentsSome have said that using the Wiimote as if it were a sword, swinging it around to perform actions in-game, will undoubtedly cause us all to collapse from exhaustion. Some have noted that no actual force is required when using the Wiimote as if it were a sword or in any other kind of fashion, causing the previous point to be irrelevant. Well, now the argument may heat up yet again as Shigeru Miyamoto recently confirmed with Nintendo Dream magazine that the previous controls established for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess are no more.

Instead of using the B button to cause Link to slash, as the E3 build demonstrated, now players will need to physically swing the Wiimote around should they wish Link to vanquish his foes. Only thing is, the combat in previous Legend of Zelda titles has been intense, causing some to wonder if this new change is for the best.

Also, now that the B button has been freed up, it will now be used when Link is utilizing the bow. Upon aiming at a target, hitting the B button will let loose the arrow from the bow. Miyamoto also tested out using the d-pad for aiming duties, but decided to scrap that idea.

In the same article, Miyamoto stated that given the hardware set of the Wii, it would be easy to update GameCube titles to allow full use of the Wii's control scheme. Of course, we have to assume that if this were even going to happen it would only be restricted to first-party titles from Nintendo. Miyamoto said:

"We'll be upgrading the development tools, but GameCube code can be used for the most part as is. In that sense, I believe that it would be good to remake GameCube games for Wii, and that some titles would become better with the change to the Wii remote controller."

So, you can have one GameCube game updated with the Wii control scheme: what would the game be and how would the Wiimote be used?

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>legendlinkmiyamotonintendoprincessshigerushiggytwilightwiizeldaMon, 21 Aug 2006 12:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/08/08/interesting-comments-about-tp-opening-gameplay/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/08/08/interesting-comments-about-tp-opening-gameplay/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/08/08/interesting-comments-about-tp-opening-gameplay/#commentsA forum poster by the name of 'cartoonsmart' recently created a rather interesting topic over at the Neoseeker forums. Claiming to have played a rather lengthy segment of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, starting from the beginning of the adventure, the poster mentions some very specific things that are supposedly going to be present in the final game. However, it may be seen that at one or two times in the post, cartoonsmart contradicts himself a bit. As the post could be considered a big spoiler, we will not repeat anything here.

Now, naturally the replies provide some very strong rebuttals to his argument that what he claims is all truth. However, he does a good job at fielding the questions within and proving himself to be what he considers "true" in his statements. We find this whole ordeal to be very interesting, but are not prepared to accept any of this as truth. By all means, if a Nintendo representative comments that any of this is true, or we find it all to be exactly as he said once the game is released, then we will undoubtedly apologize for not accepting a random forum post as truth and beg for your forgiveness.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>legendnintendoprincesstwilightwiizeldaTue, 08 Aug 2006 11:15:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/28/metareview-tomb-raider-legeng/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/28/metareview-tomb-raider-legeng/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/28/metareview-tomb-raider-legeng/#commentsLara Croft is back in a new adventure on the PSP with exclusive features such as wireless multiplayer and unlockable image galleries, wallpapers, and songs from the soundtrack. Not to mention a plethora of outfits for you to raid those tombs in. The title received favorable reviews on home consoles, but has it been able to bring that magic to Sony's portable?

Gamespot (62/100) - "The only new challenge to be found in this version is the challenge of adapting to the uncooperative camera and clunky controls."

IGN (72/100) - " While rough around the edges, Tomb Raider Legend still manages to offer a unique, worthwhile experience on PSP."

Gamespy (70/100) - "All in all, we recommend Tomb Raider: Legend to fans and non-fans alike, but you might be better off picking up a copy of one of the console versions."

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>legendplaystationportablepspsonytombWed, 28 Jun 2006 11:52:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/05/whopping-22-minute-video-of-phantom-hourglass-from-e3/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/05/whopping-22-minute-video-of-phantom-hourglass-from-e3/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/05/whopping-22-minute-video-of-phantom-hourglass-from-e3/#commentsThis video shows the entire demo of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass that was available at Nintendo's booth during E3. The video, which is filmed exceptionally well, shows all of you exactly how Link will control and interact with the environment. Just make yourself some popcorn before starting to watch, this video is on par with the length-time of a full episode of Scrubs.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dse3hourglasslegendlinklitenintendophantomzeldaMon, 05 Jun 2006 09:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/24/2-new-videos-for-legend-of-heroes-2/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/24/2-new-videos-for-legend-of-heroes-2/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/24/2-new-videos-for-legend-of-heroes-2/#commentsThe Legend of Heroes II: Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch is not only a mouthful when it comes to a title for anything, but also a pretty promising-looking role-playing game for the PSP. In their continuing coverage for the game, IGN has put up two more videos, the first of which showcases the battle system and the second focusing on a conversation with Grandpa Lap.

The Legend of Heroes II: Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch is the story of two friends by the names of Jurio and Chris who set off on a journey to visit 5 shrines surrounding their village. As any good RPG, it's soon after embarking on this journey that the duo learn of the Raual Wave, an evil force that threatens their very existence.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>heroeslegendmoonlightplaystationportableprophecypspsonywitchWed, 24 May 2006 08:43:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/19/nintendo-colors-the-twilight-realm/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/19/nintendo-colors-the-twilight-realm/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/19/nintendo-colors-the-twilight-realm/#commentsIt's fairly well-known by now that in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Link will be traveling between Hyrule and the Twilight Realm, a dark, grey place that causes him to transform into a wolf.

Well, according to Eiji Aonuma, by way of an interview conducted by magazine Electronics Gaming Monthly, the Twilight Realm has received a makeover and will now feature a vibrant set of colors, distinguishing itself from Hyrule in that way. No screenshots of the changed look have made its way onto the internet at the time of this post, so hopefully we'll see something pop up soon.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gamecubelegendnintendoprincessrealmtwilightwiizeldaFri, 19 May 2006 15:43:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/27/phantom-hourglass-scans/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/27/phantom-hourglass-scans/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/27/phantom-hourglass-scans/#commentsSome scans hit the net
today for this game called The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. You've probably never heard of it. It looks like
it's a game based around spinning a small boy dressed in green, who is armed with a sword, shield, and sleeping cap,
while his twin brothers cheer on. The scans come from magazine Nintendo Dream and also showcase a rather
large, rosey-cheeked character wielding a massive paintbrush. It looks as if you'll be able to control the small kid,
whose name is unknown, through the stylus and touch screen. We're not too excited about the game since it's
relatively obscure, but we felt obligated to post about it for the benefit of the three people out there looking
forward to it.